Device for splitting bulbs and the like



Aug. 28, 1962 0. R. RING DEVICE FOR SPLIT'I'ING BULBS AND THE LIKE Filed April 6, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 45' 4 II 1! INVENTOR- OSWALD R. RING 7y 1 52 54 BY 4336 532 /9 5 W 17163 A TTOFrNEYS Aug. 28, 1962 Filed April 6, 1961 o. R. RING 3,051,360

DEVICE FOR SPLITTING BULBS AND THE LIKE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 6 INVENTOR.

OSWALD R. RING ATTORNEYS nitedgtates atent free 3,651,360 DEVICE FOR SILITTING BULBS AND THE LIKE Oswald R. Ring, Savage, Minn. Filed Apr. 6, 1961, Ser. No. 101,245 4 Illaims. (Cl. 225-96) This invention relates generally to splitting and cutting devices, and more particularly it relates to a device for splitting bulbs and the like.

This invention has particular significance with respect to the removing of worms or grubs from golden rod galls and the like, the grubs being in demand as ice fishing bait. It has been particularly difficult to devise means whereby the golden rod grubs might be satisfactorily removed from their fibrous and protective gall covering. This is particularly true since golden rod galls are characterized by a generally fibrous inner core and a relatively hard outer shell. Previously, golden rod galls have been cut open or split by other means which very often resulted in harm to the grub or worm contained therewithin. In light of the above, an important object of this invention is the provision of a device for splitting golden rod galls and the like which is so designed and constructed as to permit fast and easy opening of the gall, as will be described hereafter. Although the foregoing problems are excellently illustrated in the use of my invention, as a device for splitting golden rod bulbs or galls, such problems are not so limited in occurrence. Thus, the foregoing is not intended to restrict the solutions which the present invention affords to the application of this invention to golden rod galls nor even to other types of galls, inasmuch as many other forms of bulbs or nuts, generally referred to herein as bulbs, may be similarly effected by the application of this invention.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a device for splitting bulbs and the like which is constructed so as to provide means for gripping and splitting the bulbs and subsequently separating the bulbs into a pair of generally hemispherical portions.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a device for splitting bulbs and the like in which said gripping, splitting and separating action of this invention is actuated by a common control member or a handle.

A still further object of this invention is the provision of a device for splitting bulbs and the like which provides extremely efiicient means for doing so without harm to the grub or worm normally contained therein.

Other objects of this invention reside in the provision of a device for splitting bulbs and the like which is fast and easy to operate, simple but durable in construction, and highly efficient in providing satisfactory performance of its objects and purposes.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following detailed specification, appended claims and attached drawmgs.

Referring to the drawings wherein like reference characters indicate like parts or elements throughout the several views:

FIG. 1 is a view in top plan of my device with the handle thereof shown in section;

FIG. 2 is a view in side elevation, said handle being broken away;

FIG. 3 is a view in front end elevation; said handle again being broken away;

FIG. 4 is a view in horizontal section taken on the line 44 of FIG. 2, and showing a bulb-gripping-andcutting position of some parts of my invention by dotted lines;

FIG. 5 is a view in vertical section taken on the line 55 of FIG. 1, and showing an open position of some parts of my invention by dotted lines; and

FIG. 6 is a view in vertical section taken on the line 66 of FIG. 2, and showing an alternative position of the actuating parts of my invention by dotted lines.

Referring with greater particularity to the drawings, my entire splitting device is represented generally by the reference numeral 1, and the reference letter A represents a bulb of the type which my invention is designed to open. It is understood that the term bulb is used herein as including galls, nuts and the like. My splitting device 1 comprises a frame structure, represented generally by the reference numeral 2, which includes a bottom wall 3, side walls 4, 5, and opposed top flanges 6 defined at the upper edges of the side walls 4, 5. The frame structure 2 further comprises a top plate 7 which is rigidly secured to the top flanges 6 by means of a plurality of fasteners 8.

In accordance with my invention, a pair of elongated generally parallel pivot rods are secured in generally vertically spaced relationship adjacent the rear 9 of the frame structure 2, the upper pivot rod being represented by the reference numeral 10 and the lower pivot rod being represented by the reference numeral 11. It should be understood that the use herein of upper, lower and other directional terms is for ease of explanation, and not limitation. An important part of my invention is the provision of a pair of normally laterally spaced cooperating jaws each represented generally by the reference numerals 12, and 13 respectively. The jaw 12 comprises a pair of jaw bar sections, the upper of which is represented by the reference numeral 14 and the lower of which is represented by the reference numeral 15. The upper and lower jaw bar sections 14, 15 are pivotally secured, as at 16 and 17 respectively, to the upper and lower pivot rods 10, 11. Also, the jaw 13 comprises an upper jaw bar section 18 and a lower jaw bar section 19 both of which are of a materially lesser longitudinal dimension than the longitudinal dimension of the upper and lower jaw bar sections 14, 15 of the jaw 12. The rearward portion of the upper jaw bar section 18 of the jaw 13 is bifurcated so as to form generally vertically spaced generally parallel rear flanges 20 which receive the rearward portion of the upper jaw bar section 14 of the jaw 12, said flanges 20 being pivotally secured thereto, as at 21. Likewise, the rearward portion of the lower jaw bar section 19 of the jaw 13 if bifurcated so as to form generally vertically spaced generally parallel rear flanges 22 which are adapted to receive the rearward portion of the lower jaw bar section 15 of the jaw 13, said flanges 22 being pivotally secured thereto, as at 23. It is noted that the upper and lower jaw bar sections 18, 19 of the jaw 13 are disposed so as to be generally co-planar with the respective upper and lower jaw bar sections 14, 15 of the jaw 12.

Since it is necessary to the satisfactory operation of my invention that the jaws '12, 13 be formed to define a recess for the reception of a bulb A to be split or separated by my invention, the forward portions 2 4-27 of the upper and lower jaw bar sections 14, 15, 18, 19 of the jaws .1 2, 13 are formed to define generally arcuate inner edges 28-31, respectively. Also, the forward portions 24-27 of the jaws 12, 13 are equipped with generally arcuate knives 3245, the knives 32, *34 being secured to the lower surfaces :of the upper jaw bar sect-ions 14, 18 adjacent the arcuate inner edges 28, 30 thereof and the knives 3'3, 35 being secured to the upper surfaces of the lower jaw bar sections 15, 19 adjacent the arcuate inner edges 29, 31 thereof.

It is noted that the pivotal mounting or securement 21, 23 of the upper and lower jaw bar sections 18, 19

of the jaw 13 to the upper and lower jaw bar sections 14, .15 of the jaw 12 arranges the jaws 12, 13 for pivotal movements thereof between the bulb receiving position shown by full lines in FIG. 4, wherein the jaws 12, 13 are disposed in relatively widely spaced relationship to one another, a bulb-gripping-and-cutting position shown by dotted lines in FIG. 4, wherein the jaws 12, 13 are disposed in relatively closely spaced relationship. It is noted also that the pivotal mounting or securement, as at 16, 17, of the upper and lower jaw bar sections 14, 15 of the jaw 12 arranges the jaw bar sections 14, 15, 18, 19 for movement between a closed position shown by full lines in FIG. 5, wherein the upper jaw bar sections 14, 18 are disposed in generally flat face-to-face relationship to the lower jaw bar sections 15, 19, and an open position, shown by dotted lines in FIG. 5, wherein the upper jaw bar sections 14, 18 are disposed in relatively widely spaced relationship to the lower jaw bar sections 15, 19. It should be obvious that the movement of the jaw bar sections 14, 15, 18, 19 between the above described open and closed positions thereof is directed in a direction generally normal to the direction of pivotal movement of the jaws 1 2, 13 between the bulb-receiving and bulb-gripping-and-cutting positions thereof.

In order to provide means for imparting the above described generally lateral movement to the jaws 12, 13 between the bulb-receiving and bulb-gripping-and-cutting positions thereof, an elongated rod 36 is carried by the frame structure 2 with the generally intermediate portion of the elongated rod 36 interposed between the upper jaw sections 14, 18 and the lower jaw sections 15, 19. One generally cylindrical end portion 38 of the elongated rod 36 is journalled in an enlarged bearing boss 39 defined by the side wall of the frame structure 2 and the other generally cylindrical end portion 40 of the elongated rod 36 is journalled within a bearing insert 41 carried by the opposite side wall 4 of the frame structure 2. A generally annular flange 42 is secured, by means of a plurality of fasteners 43, in outwardly spaced relationship to the side wall 4 of the frame structure 2, said annular flange 42 being received on the rod 36. The other end 40 of the elongated rod 36 is provided with a pivotally mounted elongated handle 44 the secured end of which is bifurcated so as to define spaced side portions 45 A lower pivot pin 46 pivotally secures the handle 44 to the elongated rod 36 and a roller 47 is rotatably mounted on an upper pin 48. An annular thrust flange 49 is rotatably received on the elongated rod 36 and inteiposed between the handle 44 and the annular flange 42. Also, a rotatably journalled stop knuckle 50 is received on the elongated rod 36 and interposed between the side wall 5 of the frame structure 2 and the upper and lower jaw bar sections 18, 19. With this arrangement, movement of the lever-acting handle 44 in a direction to cause engagement of the roller 47 with the annular thrust flange 49 and subsequent lever action about such a fulcrum point from the full line position to the dotted line position of FIG. 6, will cause engagement of the stop knuckle 50 with the outer edges 51, 52 of the upper and lower jaw bar sections 18, 19 so as to move the jaw bar sections 18, 19 toward the jaw bar sections 14, 15. It is further noted that the outer end 38 of the elongated rod 36 is provided with a collar 53 adapted to support one end of a compression coil spring 54 which is interposed between the collar 53 and the enlarged bearing boss '39 whereby to bias the elongated rod 36 toward the position shown in FIGS. 4 and 6. When said elongated rod 36 is biased in said position, the provision of a pair of coil springs, one of which is shown at 55, and which are secured between the side wall 5 of the frame structure 2 and the upper and lower jaw bar sections 18, 19 biases the jaws 12, 13 toward the bulb-receiving position thereof shown by full lines in FIG. 4.

In order to provide means for imparting movement to the jaw bar sections 14, 15, 18, 19 between the above described open and closed positions thereof, the generally intermediate portion 37 of the elongated rod 36 is formed to define a cam-acting flat bar portion 56. The elongated rod 36 is normally disposed with the plane of the flat bar portion 56 thereof in general parallelism with the planes of the upper and lower jaw bar sections 14, 15, 18, 19 whereby said jaw bar sections 14, 15, 13, 19 are normally disposed in the above described closed position thereof, shown by full lines in FIG. 5, with the knives '32, 34 of the upper jaw sections 14, 18 disposed adjacent the knives 33, 35 of the lower jaw bar sections 15, 19. However, upon rotation of the handle 44 so as to impart rotation to the elongated rod 36, the fiat bar portion 56 of the elongated rod 36 causes separation between the upper jaw sections 14, 18 and the lower jaw sections 15, 19, and thereby causing movement thereof to the open position thereof shown by dotted lines in FIG. 5. It is noted that the upper and lower jaw sections 14, 15 and 18, 19 are biased toward the closed position thereof, shown by full lines in FIG. 5, by means of a pair of coil springs 57 one each of which is associated with each of the upper jaw sections 14, 18 as seen particularly in FIGS. 5 and 6. Each of the coil springs 57 is secured by means of a generally co-axially disposed bolt 53 which cooperates with an annular flange 59 and nut 60. A laterally projecting stop bar 61 is rigidly secured to the top plate 7 of the frame structure 2 so as to prevent rotation of the handle 44 beyond the position thereof shown in FIG. 2. Also, as seen in FIG. 3, a generally vertically disposed stop rod 62 is interposed between the bottom wall 3 and the top plate 7 of the frame structure 2, the same providing an abutment against which the upper and lower jaw sections 14, 15 of the jaw 12 engage so as to provide a counter-force to the force exerted on the jaw bar sections 18, 19 by the stop knuckle and transferred to the received bulb A.

Having specifically described my invention, the operative simplicity thereof is thought to be inherently explicit in said description; however, said operation will be briefly outlined. When the jaws 12, 13 are disposed in the abovedescribed bulb-receiving position thereof, shown by full lines in FIGI 4, the bulb A to be opened or split is placed in the recess defined by the arcuate inner edges 28-31 of the jaw sections 14,15, 18, 19. Then the handle 44 is moved in a generally lever-acting manner from the full line position to the dotted line position of FIG. 6 so as to impart longitudinal movement to the elongated rod 36 and resulting movement of the jaw 12 toward the above-described bulb-gripping-and-cutting position thereof, shown by dotted lines in FIG. 4, whereupon the knives 32-35 make a generally circumferential cut into the bulb A. Then the handle 44 is rotated in a generally crank-acting manner so as to impart the above-described rotation to the elongated rod 36 whereupon the movement of the fiat bar portion 56 of the elongated rod 36 causes separating movement of the jaw sections 14, 15, 18, 19' so as to sever the bulb A from the full line positions to the dotted line positions of FIG. 5.

This invention has been thoroughly tested and found to be completely satisfactory for the accomplishment of the above objects; and while I have shown and described above a preferred embodiment thereof in which the principles of the present invention have been incorporated, I wish it to be specifically understood that the same may be modified without departure from the scope and spirit of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A device for splitting bulbs and the like, said device comprising a frame structure, a pair of normally spaced cooperating jaws carried by said frame structure, said jaws each comprising knife-equipped cooperating jaw sections which are generally co-planar with the jaw sections of the other jaw, means mounting said jaws for movement between a bulb-receiving position wherein said jaws are disposed in relatively widely spaced relation to one another and a bul-b-gripping-and-cutting position wherein said jaws are disposed in relatively closely spaced relation, means for imparting said movement to said jaws between said bulb-receiving position and said bulb-gripping-and-cutting position, means mounting said jaw sections for movement between a closed position wherein said jaw sections are disposed in generally flat face-to-face relationship and an open position wherein said jaw sections are disposed in relatively widely spaced relationship to one another, said movement of said jaw sections between said open and closed positions being in a direction generally normal to the direction of movement of said jaws between said bulbreceiving and bulb-gripping-and-cutting positions, and means for imparting said movement to said jaw sections between said closed position and said open position thereof, the movement of said jaws from said bulb-receiving position thereof to the bulb-gripping-and-outting position thereof causing the knives of said jaw sections to grip and cut into a bulb received between said jaws and the subsequent movement of said jaw sections to said open position thereof causing splitting of said bulb.

2. A device for splitting bulbs and the like, said device comprising a frame structure, a pair of normally spaced cooperating jaws carried by said frame structure, said jaws each comprising knife-equipped cooperating jaw sections which are generally co-planar with the jaw sections of the other jaw, means mounting one of said jaws on the other thereof for pivotal movements thereof between a bulb-receiving position wherein said jaws are disposed in relatively widely spaced relation to one another and a bulbgripping-and-cutting position wherein said jaws are disposed in relatively closely spaced relation, means for imparting said pivotal movement to said jaws between said bulb-receiving position and said bulb-gripping-and-cutting position, means mounting said jaw sections for movement between a closed position wherein said jaw sections are disposed in generally flat face-to-face relationship and an open position wherein said jaw sections are disposed in relatively widely spaced relationship to one another, said movement of said jaw sections between said open and closed positions being in a direction generally normal to the direction of pivotal movement of said jaws between said bulb-receiving and bulb-gripping-and-cutting positions, and means for imparting said movement to said jaw sections between said closed position and said open position thereof, the movement of said jaws from said bulb-receiving position thereof to the bulb-gripping-andcutting position thereof causing the knives of said j-aw sections to grip and cut into a bulb received between said jaws and the subsequent movement of said jaw sections to said open position thereof causing splitting of said bulb.

3. The structure defined in claim 2 in which said means for imparting said pivotal movements to said jaws comprises an elongated rod the generally intermediate portion of which is interposed between said jaw sections and the opposite ends of which are journalled in said frame structure, said elongated rod being mounted for longitudinal movement, stop means defined by said rod adjacent said one of said jaws, said stop means being disposed so as to engage said one of said jaws and move the same toward the bulb-gripping-and-cutting position of said jaws upon longitudinal movement of said rod, means for imparting said longitudinal movement to said rod, and spring means biasing said jaws in a direction causing positioning of said jaws in said bulb-receiving position thereof.

4. The structure defined in claim 3 in which said elongated rod is further mounted for rotary movement, and in which said means for imparting said movement to said jaw sections comprises a cam-surface defined on the generally intermediate portion of said elongated rod, said camsurface being so defined as to impart said movement to said jaw sections upon rotary movement of said elongated rod, means secured to said elongated rod for imparting said rotary movement thereof, and spring means carried by said jaw sections for biasing the same toward the closed position thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,630,174 Poteet Mar. 3, 1953 

